


The Flower of Agni

by pissfizz



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, But like this still takes place in the atla universe, Gen, I'll add tags as I go?, In a way, Inspired by Tangled (2010), Long-Haired Zuko (Avatar), M/M, Magic Zuko, Sokka would be Flynn Ryder in this au, Spirit Blessed Zuko, Tangled AU, Zuko Joins The Gaang Early (Avatar), Zuko is Rapunzel, warning- Zhao is fucking creepy, would Katara be the horse?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-05
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-16 14:54:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29209206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pissfizz/pseuds/pissfizz
Summary: former title: 'zuko, oh, zuko, let down your long flowing hair!'Basically, Zuko is Rapunzel and has no idea about the war, or the Avatar, or any of that stuff until one (1) bumbling water tribe idiot climbs into his tower.Please leave comments otherwise I won't be motivated enough to finish this and I really want to finish it.
Relationships: Ozai & Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar), The Gaang & Zuko (Avatar), Zhao & Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 51
Kudos: 175





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! Please comment to give me some motivation jshjhjsfjjsk
> 
> anyway, potential triggers for this chapter include discussion of potential miscarriage and premature babies. If there's anything else let me know and I'll add it!

Long ago, Agni became lonely and sad. His sister, Tui, had La, and Oma and Shu had each other, but Agni had nobody. And so he began to cry. His tears were little golden drops of sun as they fell to the earth, and what they touched began to change. One tear hit a geckobird, and it became a dragon. Another hit a river, and the pebbles in the bed turned to gold. The third tear landed on the grass of an empty hill, and there bloomed a golden flower. Agni became happy once more, having birthed his son, the dragon, into the world, and his tears stopped. He forgot about the flower, enamored with his son, and left the flower to be found by the humans.

There was a village nearby the hill, and one day two young siblings were playing out in the fields when a glint of gold caught the younger’s eye. Curious, she ran up the hill, but on her way up, she tripped and scraped her knee. Her older sister helped her back up, and together they made their way to the top of the hill. There they found Agni’s flower. The girls fell in love with the beautiful flower, and in a haze, the younger reached out to touch it. Her small finger gently stroked one of the glowing petals, and suddenly the scrape on her knee began to heal itself. Shocked, the two girls ran back to the village to tell everyone about this magical healing flower. 

The flower quickly became a thing revered by the villagers, and whenever one was ill or injured, they were carried up to the hill. It became tradition to sing a song of thanks to the flower, which they had determined was a gift from Agni. They soon discovered it’s power could make the old young again, and could strengthen a person’s bending immensely, as well as healing. These villagers were smart, however, and did not abuse the gift of the flower. As the years went on, and trade between villages began to expand, rumors began to spread of the magical flower. People would come far and wide asking for permission to use the flower to heal, and more often than not, the villagers would agree. Centuries passed, until one day, the rumors met the ears of the Fire Lord. 

Fire Lord Sozin was a selfish and greedy man, and as soon as he heard about the flower, he knew he had to have it for himself. So after sending out scouts to prove the rumors true, he sent in men to take it from the dirt. The men brought it back to the palace, and it was replanted in the royal gardens. The act devastated the kind villagers, but they could not contradict their ruler. 

Sozin waited for the right moments to use the flower, using the combined power of it and the infamous comet to start the war. Eventually Sozin died, but left  instructions with his descendants to be careful and sparing with the flower. The flower stayed with the royal family for generations, a useful tool and power source while they waited for Sozin’s Comet. Until one day, during Azulon’s reign, his son’s wife fell ill. Ursa had been handpicked by Ozai, with the hopes that her offspring would be powerful firebenders, and they couldn’t afford to lose her, not with the Avatar’s blood running through her veins. She fell sick while pregnant, and according to doctors and midwives, neither she nor the child would make it out alive. 

Desperate to at least save his heir, Ozai turned to the flower, however it’s touch only slightly relieved her pain. In a last ditch attempt, he pulled the flower from the ground, and with the help from his brother, brewed it into a tea and served it to Ursa. As she drank, she began to heal. All that ailed her vanished, and she and the child were presumed safe. She liked to think that Ozai cared about her and their child, but she knew he just wanted their power. 

When Ursa gave birth, it was the middle of the night, when the moon was at her highest point, in the dead of winter. It was a bad sign. Very rarely were firebenders born at such a time, and they were never powerful. It was made worse by the fact that the child was premature by about two months, worrying every medical professional they had. When he came out, he was smaller than most babies should be, a tiny little thing, really. He didn’t have the firebender’s spark in his eyes, but the most shocking thing by far, was the long dark strands of hair on his head. 

Ozai was severely disappointed (and even slightly disgusted) by the boy, but also intrigued by the boy’s hair. His curiosity won out, and he asked Ursa to sing the flower’s song to the baby. She did as commanded, and to everyone’s shock, his hair began to glow bright gold, just like the flower. Ozai’s disappointment vanished at once, replaced by greed and hunger for his son’s power. Instead of showing this, however, he painted on a disgusted scowl, and scooped the child from Ursa’s arms. He told her that the child was a failure, and they would have to try again. He wouldn’t tolerate a nonbender as a son.

In reality, he was taking the boy for himself. He could use him to become more powerful, and with everyone thinking the flower was gone, no one would ever know. He instructed for a tower to be built near a small and inconspicuous village, with no door at the bottom, only a window at the top, no way in or out unless you had a death wish. 

Soon Ozai realized that Zuko’s power resided in his long hair, so he cut off a small lock with the hopes that should he have it on his person, he will always be enhanced. He sang the song as he worked, but as soon as he cut it, the lock faded to a deep black once more. Evidently the hair needed to be  _ attached _ for it to work. 

And so Zuko was placed in the tower, never to be allowed out again. 

  
  


  
  



	2. The Scar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Now, my son, do you know what it is you’ve done?” Ozai ran his hand down the side of Zuko’s head, cupping his left cheek.  
> “I’ve disobeyed you, Father.” Zuko whispered in shame.  
> “You’ve dishonored yourself. And so you must be punished.” Ozai’s grip on his face strengthened and Zuko tensed. “You will learn respect, and suffering will be your teacher.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys thanks for all the support on the prologue!! This chapter is still kind of prologue-y but I thought it was important to include this before the story actually began.
> 
> Anyway here's the trigger warnings-  
> Zhao being super freaking creepy (that man is a whole pedophile), there's a character who suspects Zuko of being a victim of kidnapping and/or child abuse, and of course, Ozai committing child abuse. Before the act of burning of burning off Zuko's face, he yells at him a lot too.

Zuko had lived in the tower for thirteen years now, and he was starting to long for the day when he could go out. He had only ever met two people, his father, and a man named Zhao, who came by to provide him with necessities about once a week. Zuko didn’t like Zhao, but his father trusted him, so he couldn’t complain. If only Father knew what Zhao was truly like…

His father told him he was kept in here to protect him, and keep his purity from being defiled by the evils of the world. He was forbidden from learning knowledge about the outside world that could potentially corrupt him, and all the books and play scripts he owned had to be approved by Father before they could be passed onto him. Zuko didn’t understand what could possibly be so bad out there, his stories made it seem like such a wonderful place. Well, it couldn’t be worse than Zhao at least. Zhao had already taken a chunk of Zuko’s purity long ago, with his cruel and suggestive words, and his way of being a little too rough when it came to handling Zuko. Now, Zhao had never...you know, but he certainly made it obvious how much he wished to, whether it be with words, or with prolonged touches in slightly more personal areas. Every time, Zuko warned him of his father’s wrath, should he find out about how the man treated him. It never put him off for long.

And so of course, Zuko felt it was perfectly valid that he wanted to leave. Plus, he was thirteen now, that meant he was a teenager! Shouldn’t teenagers be allowed to go visit the outside world every once in a while? Evidently his father thought not, reinforcing the fact that he was forbidden from ever leaving his tower. So Zuko was left wondering what the outside was like. What was his mother like? Did he have any siblings? Aunts, or uncles, or cousins? Zuko had unexpectedly been revealed to be a firebender, did that mean any family he might have is one as well? Father is one, and so is Zhao, so that means there’s got to be others as well! In the plays and books there’s always powerful benders and spirits. Was the world covered in forests like it was outside his window? What do beaches and mountain ranges look like? What does the sky look like from different angles? What does a river sound like? What even is snow? What do the people from other Nations look like? Better yet, what do  _ women _ look like? He’d only ever seen art of them, and it wasn’t particularly realistic if the men were anything to go off of. 

Zuko had made a plan back when he was twelve to sneak out of the tower, if only for a night. His hair grew rapidly fast, and he had never once cut it, so it was already trailing well past his ankles. He could maybe try and use it as a rope to get partway down the tower, and drop the rest of the way. There were bushes as the base of the tower, so he shouldn’t get too hurt, maybe just some bruises and scrapes here and there. It may be a bit difficult, considering the kimono he wore (which of course was the only article of clothing he owned) wasn’t built for jumping out of windows. He had started rolling up and pinning the hem of the skirt to make it more movable, which certainly helped a bit. After making this plan he decided to wait another year for his hair to grow more, even if it was only by a foot or so. 

And so now, Zuko was ready to attempt his escape. Zhao had just visited the day before, so he had a week until the man would come back. How Zuko planned to get back  _ into  _ the tower, he didn’t know yet, but when the time came, he was sure he would figure it out. 

Taking a deep breath to calm his racing heart, Zuko clutched his long mane of hair in his arms. He had fashioned a small bird feeder and hung it outside the window a couple years ago, and he prayed to any spirit that was listening that that hook would be strong enough to hold his weight. He wasn’t particularly heavy, in fact he was quite small, but his hair did count in weight, which added on quite a bit. Zuko passed the bundle of hair to his right arm, struggling to keep it all from spilling out, and reached out with his left hand to unhook the bird feeder. Once he had the small contraption, he set it on the floor, careful not to spill any of the seed. The young firebender took another deep breath and flung the hair over the hook so that he could try and climb down. His hair only reached a little less than halfway down the tower, which was actually a bit longer than he expected. 

Zuko grabbed onto his makeshift rope and stepped onto the window sill. He tugged a bit, testing how strong the hook was. After a minute of not budging, Zuko began to slowly ease himself off and into open air.  _ Agni, this was dangerous… _ Heart pounding, he began to siddle down the thick hair. It was difficult, as the further down he got the more the rope was pulled upwards, but he was making do. 

And then he fell. He had been beginning to ease himself further down, when his hands slipped, and he slid down the remaining length of his hair, and then he was freefalling the rest of the way to the bushes. He let out a yelp as he hit the plants, which hurt a fair bit more than he thought it would, but hey, no broken bones, so that had to count for something. 

Zuko stood on trembling legs and began searching for injuries. He could tell he would sport a nasty looking bruise on his tailbone later, where he landed after his little tumble. The branches to the bushes had scratched up his bare legs pretty bad, but the injuries weren’t deep or too painful. They had also ripped a few holes in his kimono, earning a frown from the young teen. He’d have to sew those up later. 

All of the sudden he seemed to remember he was outside.  _ Outside.  _ Like standing on real, actual grass, seeing the trunks of trees up close, touching dirt that wasn’t tracked in by a pervy old man, type outside. A smile began to stretch across Zuko’s face, and before he could stop it, a laugh danced past his lips. He was outside! He wanted to see so many things, rivers, people,  _ turtleducks.  _ He filled his lungs with the crisp outdoor air, and he began to run. 

His feet thumped against the grass, his hair flowed behind him, the wind blew against his face. He’d never felt so free in his life, and it was wonderful. Running through the trees, listening to the rustle of leaves was truly a blissful experience, and nothing could keep it from being so. Well, except for when he had to stop to untangle his hair from branches and roots. In the end it was all worth it though, because he was free, even if it was just for a little while. 

Soon, Zuko found himself on the outskirts of a village. He had almost ran straight in, but caught himself and halted moments before. His heart thundered in his chest. Did he want to go in? What if the people were scary? Or like Zhao? Was the world truly as evil as Father said? 

No. Of course not! The plays and storybooks all told the outside world as a wonderful place, with kind and helpful people. Of course there was bound to be cruel folk like Zhao, but not everyone was malicious like him! And so, steeling himself, he took a step into the village. He walked through tentatively, carrying as much hair he could, not wanting anyone to trample it. People stared as he walked, but he was much too enamored with staring at the pathways and buildings and of course, the  _ humans _ to really care. He was bewildered by the stone pathways, he didn’t realize they built floors outside too! And wow, the buildings! They looked so different from the illustrations he’s seen! Too busy staring at the rooftops, Zuko didn’t watch where he was walking, and ended up ramming right into a man a good two and half heads taller than him. 

“O-Oh! Hello!” Zuko greeted the man. “My name’s Zuko! What’s your name? You have a truly wonderful beard! And your sash is such a pretty red! I really like red, but my favorite color is actually pink. It’s like red but soft and--” 

“Where are your parents, kid? You’re not from around here, are you?” The man said, suspicion decorating his voice. 

“Huh? No, I am from around here! I live in the forest, in this super tall tower! And I don’t actually know where Father is, now that you mention it--”

“Kid, I’m being serious. It’s dangerous for a young lady like you to be wandering around town by herself, and making up stories about living in a tower in the woods--”

“But I’m telling the truth!” Zuko cut him off, “And I’m not a lady either!”

“Kid--” The man started again, but this time he was cut off by someone placing their hand on his shoulder.

“Ban Gao, calm yourself.” a soothing voice interrupted. Zuko looked past the man’s shoulder to see a woman wearing a deep maroon ruqun, her lips colored with a similarly toned paint. She eased the man-- Ban Gao? That’s what she called him, right?-- out of the way so that she could bend in front of Zuko at his eye level. 

“You’re a woman right? You look so different than I thought you would! I’ve never seen a real woman before.” Zuko smiled. 

“Darling, how often do you leave your home? You said you’re from around here, didn’t you?” she ignores his comment on never seeing women before.

“Oh, I’ve never left before, this is the first time I’ve ever been outside! It’s so wonderful, isn’t it?” Zuko smiled, not picking up on the woman’s increasing worry.

“Do you have parents, dear?” She continued.

“My father comes by every now and then. By the way, my name’s Zuko! What’s your name?” 

“It’s nice to meet you Zuko, my name is Soo-jung. Can I ask why you’ve never left your home before?”

“Father forbid me from ever leaving. I mean, the tower’s nice and all, but I was so curious! If you ever see Father, please don’t tell him, ok? This could be our secret! I’ve never had a secret before!” Soo-jung and Ban Gao exchanged worried glances.

“Zuko, dear, would you come with me please?” Soo-jung asked. She put her hand out, as if expecting Zuko to take it, before realizing his hands were very much full at the moment. 

“Is that… Is that your hair?” Ban Gao gasped, seeming to take in what it was that Zuko had in his arms. 

“This? Oh, yeah, I didn’t want anyone stepping on it.” Zuko shrugged. “Hey, Madame Soo-jung, where are you taking me?”

“Madame--? Nevermind, I’m taking you to talk to some people about where you live, is that okay?” Soo-jung replied, guiding Zuko as they began walking. Ban Gao followed closely, his concern and curiosity piqued. 

“Okay! Do you like stories, Madame Soo-jung? I like stories a lot! My favorite is the play  _ Love Amongst the Dragons _ . It’s such a beautiful tale, I hope one day I’ll fall in love just like Kanako in the story…” Zuko sighed. 

“ _ Love Amongst the Dragons _ is a very good play. Maybe one day you can see it actually performed.” Soo-jung nodded. Soon they reached two men, standing at a corner silently, dressed in red armor. Soldiers, if Zuko had to guess. He didn’t know much about what they did, exactly, but he did vaguely know what they looked like. 

“Excuse me, men? Where would I be able to find the commander? I must speak with him.” Soo-jung asked politely.

“You do not have the authority to speak to the commander unless he requests your presence. Please continue on with your day.”

“With all due respect, this is urgent. Unless  _ you  _ would like to help me, I must speak with the commander. I have reason to believe this boy may have been kidnapped or is in an otherwise dangerous situation. I need to speak to the commander.” Soo-jung argued. Where she was gentle and kind moments before, now she was strong and intimidating.

“Ma’am, I--”

“Is there a problem, gentlemen? I believe I heard someone request my assistance.” A familiar voice cut in. Zuko turned to the source to see none other than Zhao walking in their direction. All at once his heart stopped, the smile dropping from his face. Zuko took a small step sideways so that he was partially obscured by Soo-jung. 

“What seems to be the problem, Madame? My presence is not usually requested for everyday petty crimes.” Zhao smiled. Zuko hated that smile. It was cruel and slimy, positively fake. 

“Thank you, Commander. I have a reason to believe this boy here was either kidnapped or is living in a dangerous home environment. I can’t just let it pass by.” Soo-jung stepped aside so Zuko could be seen. The second Zhao processed who he was looking at, the fake smile dropped from his face. The man grabbed Zuko’s arm, squeezing too tight, and pulled him forward. Fear circulated through Zuko’s veins. Was he going to tell Father? What were they going to do to him? 

“ _ How did you get out? _ ” Zhao seethed. Zuko didn’t answer, instead opting to tremble in fear before the large man. 

“Commander, what’s going on? You know this boy?” Ban Gao asked.

“ _ This boy _ was locked away under the orders of the Fire Lord, and should never have escaped. Do not listen to what he has told you, for it is surely all lies.” Zhao hissed, his grip tightening. Zuko looked to the two villagers, silently pleading for help. Their faces were filled with shock.

“He’s a criminal? The Fire Lord? I don’t understand.” Soo-jung breathed. 

“If you don’t mind, I’ll be taking him back now. You don’t have any reason to worry.” Zhao said, beginning to drag Zuko away. Suddenly he stopped and turned to look back at the duo. “And if you tell anyone you saw or communicated with this child, I will have you executed.” With that Zhao tightened his hold on Zuko and continued to walk away. 

_______________

Zuko was tossed to the floor of the tower carelessly as Zhao stood over him, maliciousness burning in his eyes. Zuko couldn’t bring himself to stand back up, his legs trembling much too hard. The commander held a chunk of Zuko’s hair in his hand, as if it were a leash to prevent the boy from trying to get away. 

“Did you enjoy your little adventure?” Zhao smirked. Zuko thought his teeth were ugly. “Not gonna respond? Alright, be that way then.” He tugged Zuko’s hair a bit, making the boy drag forward slightly. The younger tried to keep himself from moving closer with his hands, but Zhao was bigger, and much stronger. 

“What would your father say if he found out about this? That was a risky move you pulled, y’know.” Zhao knelt down in front of Zuko’s trembling form, inches away from his face. Zuko stared down, refusing to meet the commander’s gaze. “Aw, come on, look at me. You just know how much I love those pretty little golden eyes of yours.” The man used his free hand to force Zuko’s chin upwards. 

“Your father doesn’t have to know if you don’t want him too,” he says, catching Zuko’s attention. “But you’d have to repay me in some way. Let me have my way with you… and your father will never find out about your little escapade.”    
“I’ll never let you.” Zuko growled. Zhao frowned.   
“What a shame… Well then, your father should be receiving the hawk by tomorrow morning.” He pushed Zuko away and stood again, turning away from the boy. Zuko’s blood chilled. He didn’t want father to know, but he refused to give Zhao what he wished. Maybe Father wouldn’t be mad? Zuko knew the hope was stupid and unlikely, but he needed that little thread to hold onto. 

The night was long, and Zuko was unable to sleep out of worry, but when morning arrived, he felt it was all too soon. The only thought that went through his mind as he did his morning routine was  _ ‘Father could be reading the message now’ _ . What would he say? He couldn’t focus as he reread his playscripts, and he found his hands shaking too much for him to draw. The only thing he could do was wait. 

The day passed without a word from Zhao or Ozai. Soon the day faded into night, and Zuko was beginning to wonder if Zhao even remembered to send the hawk. He was pretty incompetent, in Zuko’s opinion. But just as Zuko was beginning to calm down, everything had to go to shit. 

Zuko woke up to the sound of people entering the tower. He shot up from his bed, anxiety marching through his heart. As silently as he could, Zuko padded his way to his bedroom door, pulling it open an inch and peeking through. Ozai and Zhao stood together, their intimidating aura making Zuko cower in fear. Zuko sucked in a sharp breath. So it was really happening. 

“ _ Zuko! _ ” Ozai thundered, making the young boy jump. His hands trembled as he reached to open the door the rest of the way.

“Y-yes, Father?” Zuko stuttered, stepping out into the main room. He didn’t get to brush his hair out even a bit before Father arrived. Father didn’t like it when his hair wasn’t easy to comb through. 

“I’m going to try and make this as easy to understand as possible, because  _ clearly  _ you’re too stupid to understand simple instructions.” Ozai snarled. Zuko didn’t move, barely even letting himself blink. 

“You must think you’re the grandest, most wonderful, smartest man in the world, don’t you?”

“N-no, Father, I’d never!” 

“Then  _ why  _ did you take it upon yourself to disobey instructions from your father? You are my  _ son,  _ I am your  _ father _ . I am your  _ superior.  _ We are not equals, so why do you think you can disobey orders as if we are?” Ozai’s voice began to raise louder and louder as he spoke. Zuko tried not to show his fear. “ _ Answer me, boy! _ ” 

“I- I didn’t mean to imply such a thing, Father! Of course you are my superior, I would never think otherwise!” 

“And yet, you still have the audacity to leave this tower! I have treated you well, have I not? I have given you all the things you have asked for! And you still hunger for more! You’re a selfish and greed-riddled child!” Ozai roared. Zuko risked looking at Zhao, only to see the man watching with that sick smile. He was  _ enjoying  _ this. Zuko shouldn’t have expected otherwise from the disgusting bastard. Ozai took a deep breath, drawing Zuko's attention back to him.

“Come here, Zuko.” Zuko did not hesitate to scramble forward, stopping only about two feet from his father. “Closer.” Zuko took a few more steps forward. Ozai beckoned him closer once more, and Zuko kept moving towards him until there was only about half a foot between them. 

Ozai reached out to his face, and it took all of Zuko’s willpower not to flinch. The man tucked Zuko’s hair behind his ear, before reaching into his robe and pulling out a long red ribbon. Before Zuko could even consider asking what it was for, Ozai turned him around and began combing back Zuko’s long hair. He tied the ribbon at the base of Zuko’s neck, keeping it tight so not even a strand could escape. He had slicked it back so it didn’t touch his forehead as it normally did. 

“You’ve disappointed me, Zuko.” Ozai ran his hand down part of the length of the ponytail before reaching up and turning Zuko back around to face him. “Sing for me.” Zuko immediately obeyed, singing the flower’s song, his hair flowing gold. Ozai ran his hand over the crest of Zuko’s head, feeling his power grow stronger. A smile rose to his face as he listened to his son’s voice, but not one of love or happiness, no this was a smile of maliciousness and sadistic pride. The song came to a close and Zuko’s hair faded back to black. 

“Now, my son, do you know what it is you’ve done?” Ozai ran his hand down the side of Zuko’s head, cupping his left cheek. 

“I’ve disobeyed you, Father.” Zuko whispered in shame.

“You’ve dishonored yourself. And so you must be punished.” Ozai’s grip on his face strengthened and Zuko tensed. “ _ You will learn respect, and suffering will be your teacher. _ ” And with those words, Zuko’s face erupted into flames. 

A scream rips from Zuko’s throat before he can stop it, but Ozai does not remove his hand. Later, long after the wound scarred up and he could remove his bandages, Zuko would realize that Ozai had controlled the flames so that not a single strand of hair was burnt. The scent of melting flesh filled the air, Zuko’s screams and Zhao’s laughter blending together. Not soon enough did Ozai extinguish his fire and pull his hand away. Zuko dropped to the floor, his mind overwhelmed by the pain. His vision blurred and danced, a fuzzy dark edging closer and closer until he could see no longer. 

Ozai stared unsympathetically at the unconscious boy on the ground.  _ Pathetic.  _ Dusting off his hands on his robe, he turned around and began walking towards the hidden trapdoor in the floor. 

“Bandage his wound and ensure that it does not get infected. If my flower dies I will kill you myself.” Ozai directed at Zhao before making his way down the secret steps. 

“Yes, sir.” Zhao bowed at Ozai’s retreating form before turning back to Zuko.  _ So vulnerable…  _ Oh, how Zhao loved those screams. He relished in the sound, in Zuko’s small and scared form as he trembled before his father. 

Whatever happened to how much Ozai protected the purity of his son? What made him bypass that to injure the boy oh so gravely? Surely now Ozai wouldn’t mind if he used the boy for pleasure… No, he shouldn’t risk it just yet. He’ll get his chance one day. 

And so Zhao patched the boy up and moved him back to his bed before making his way out of the tower for the night. The wound would surely scar… too bad, Zuko had a very beautiful face. Oh well. There was still the other half.

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot of the lines I used for Ozai are ones that my own father uses a lot that I felt he would use too lol the one about him being the superior and not being equals blah blah blah is like my dad's favorite line.  
> Also Soo-jung is the real mvp and she was doin her best
> 
> Thank you for all the support guys :D kudos, comments, and shares are all greatly appreciated!!


	3. The Boy In The Tower

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Hey. Hey, come on, wake up.” Zuko said, frowning when he didn’t get a response. He nudged the guy a bit harder, but still didn’t get an answer. After a moment of contemplation, Zuko stuck his pinky in his mouth and proceeded to shove it in the guy’s ear.  
> “Agh!” The guy yelped, his eyes shooting open. His eyes darted frantically around the room, before looking down to realize he was tied up. “What the--? Is this...hair?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here comes the Gaang :)   
> I can't think of any triggers for this chapter but if you notice any let me know and I'll add them here!!

“With all due respect guys, we’re literally wanted criminals. Waltzing into a Fire Nation festival is probably not the best idea.” Sokka pointed out. Honestly, this should’ve been obvious, but a certain airbender seemed rather adamant about going to watch firebending up close. 

“Oh, come on, Sokka, it’s only this once. It won’t hurt, and we can wear disguises!” Katara tried to reason. Sokka shook his head.

“If you guys want to risk it, more power to you, but  _ I _ am not getting arrested today, no thank you.”

“Come on, Sokka! We might never get to see firebending up close again! At least not with it directed at us! It’s like studying! You like studying things, right?” Aang pleaded.

“I  _ do _ like studying things… Wait a minute! You’re not going to rope me into this! You guys go ahead, dress up in your  _ disguises  _ and whatnot, but I’ll be staying here in the forest, where it’s  _ safe _ .” Sokka crossed his arms, turning away from his sister and her totally-not-boyfriend. 

“Fine, be that way then. You’ll be missing out…” Katara lilted. Sokka rolled his eyes. 

“Well,  _ I’ll  _ be trying to find some meat, because  _ I  _ am starving.” He said, turning on his heel and walking away from them. He pretended not to hear Katara scoff at him. 

“ _ Stupid sisters, and stupid Avatars… _ ” Sokka muttered to himself. Seriously, what were they thinking? They were in enemy territory! With the  _ Avatar _ ! Did they  _ want  _ to get him kidnapped? Sokka kicked a pebble across the dirt with a humph. 

Sokka walked through the trees quietly, hoping to see a rabbitsquirrel or something that he could snag. About fifteen minutes passed without seeing so much as a bumblefly, and he was starting to get a bit annoyed. What kind of forest doesn’t have animals? 

With a sigh, Sokka went to lean up against a vine covered stone ledge, but fell straight through the leaves. He let out a surprised shout as he hit the ground. What the hell? Who just lets vines grow like that! Someone could’ve gotten hurt!  _ My dignity certainly is…  _

Sokka stood back up, dusting himself off. He began to turn back around, but his curiosity had been piqued. What could be behind these vines? Certainly a little look around wouldn’t hurt anybody. Steeling his resolve, Sokka pushed the vines aside and made his way through the rocks. 

When he reached the other side, it was like he had entered another world. Did he accidentally end up in the Spirit World again? No, this still felt like the mortal realm…

Standing in front of him was a tall stone tower, no door at the base, and a large open window at the very top. It was beautifully built, and he never would’ve known it was there if he didn’t fall through the vines. Curious, he crept closer to the base of the tower.  _ It’s even taller up close _ , he thought as he stared up at it. The sight almost gave him vertigo, and he had to look back down again. He ran his palm along the stones, surprised to feel them jutting out almost randomly. It seemed like it was sturdy, but built in a rush. He could easily climb this. In fact, he  _ would  _ climb it, who knows he might find meat up there. Or, y’know, something else cool. It was probably abandoned after all, no one would live out here with such a haphazard way to enter the tower. 

And so began his tedious climb to the top. It wasn’t hard to find foot- or handholds, but it still took awhile. Definitely  _ not  _ because he lacked the upper body strength though, no, not at all. 

After a while of climbing, Sokka found himself dragging his sore body onto the window sill and flopping onto the floor of the tower with a pant. Who knew climbing a giant tower would be such a workout? After a moment of catching his breath, he pushed himself back to his feet and surveyed the main room of the tower. It was actually very beautiful, with various paintings decorating the walls, some of firelillies, some of dragons, and all other images. 

Before he had a chance to look around further, a sudden pain erupted in the back of his head, and he fell to the ground, the world fading to black.

____________

After Zuko’s little journey outside three years ago, his father and Zhao had adopted the idea of using his hair as a rope to enter the tower. It was certainly a more convenient alternative to climbing the tower manually. So, of course, when someone entered the tower without calling for his hair, he panicked. 

Without knowing what else to do, he snatched a pan off the top of the stove, and slammed it into the back of the guy’s head. Of course, he was unconscious now, and Zuko had literally no idea about what to do with him. Should he push him back out of the tower? No, that could very well kill the guy, and Zuko wasn’t ready to have someone else’s blood on his hands. He prodded the guy’s face with the pan handle. He didn’t look like anyone Zuko had ever seen before. His skin was dark, his hair was brown instead of black, and after pulling up one of his eyelids, it was revealed he had blue eyes over brown like Zhao’s or amber like Father’s. His clothing was blue, a stark contrast to the reds he and his father and Zhao wore. Was he from a different nation? That was the only explanation he could think of. He poked the guy’s face again, this time earning himself a grunt from him.

“What the--?” The guy groaned, his eyes cracking open. Panicking once more, Zuko brought the pan down on his head again, returning him to his unconscious state. 

Oh, spirits, what should he do? He has a strange person knocked out on his floor! He frantically searched the room for something he could put the guy in or tie him to, and finally his eyes landed on a chair. He ran to it and pushed it closer to the guy, and then proceeded to lift him by his armpits and drag him into the chair. Damn, this guy was a lot heavier than he looked… 

Once he was seated in the chair, Zuko began to search for the end of his hair. Soon he found it and began the process of wrapping the guy in it so that he couldn’t escape when he woke up. Zuko really didn’t want to dirty his hair like this, he had just washed it recently, but unfortunately he didn’t have any rope, so he was stuck trying to make do with what he had. Once the guy was securely tied up, Zuko poked him in the face again.

“Hey. Hey, come on, wake up.” Zuko said, frowning when he didn’t get a response. He nudged the guy a bit harder, but still didn’t get an answer. After a moment of contemplation, Zuko stuck his pinky in his mouth and proceeded to shove it in the guy’s ear.

“Agh!” The guy yelped, his eyes shooting open. His eyes darted frantically around the room, before looking down to realize he was tied up. “What the--? Is this...hair?” 

“Who are you, and why are you here?” Zuko said in his best intimidating voice (which, to be fair, is actually pretty scary). He held the pan up, ready to swing again. He could very easily firebend at the guy, but wasn’t sure if he wanted to reveal all his advantages just yet. 

“Who are  _ you _ ? Why did you tie me up, I didn’t even do anything!” 

“You broke into my home! And I asked you first!” Zuko hoisted the pan up higher, threatening to swing it again.

“ _ Wait, please don’t hit me again _ ! I’m Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe. Now who the hell are you?” The guy exclaimed.

“...Zuko.” he replied, suspicion still edging his voice. “Why are you here,  _ Sokka _ ?” 

“Why are any of us here, really?” Zuko readied his swing. “Wait, I’m sorry! I was just wandering around when I found this place and got curious! I didn’t think anyone actually  _ lived _ here!” 

“You really expect me to believe that?” 

“Well, I hope you do, because I’m not lying. I don’t even have a reason to! And I’m getting kinda curious here, what the heck is going on with all this hair dude?” 

“That’s none of your business.” Zuko glared. 

“Well, if you’d be so kind as to untie me from it, I can be on my merry way and leave you in your isolated tower all by yourself.” Sokka said, “In other words, you could say I’d be  _ getting out of your hair _ !” He stopped, as if he were waiting for laughter that he didn’t receive. 

“Was that… a joke?” 

“Have you never left this tower? Of course it was a joke, and a pretty good one at that! And you didn’t even laugh!” 

“I left once when I was younger for an afternoon, but otherwise, no, I haven’t ever left.” 

“Wh-- That was supposed to be a joke too, I didn’t think you were actually a hermit!” Sokka yelped in surprise. “Why the heck don’t you leave?” 

“I’m not allowed to?” Zuko answered. It was a fairly obvious answer. 

“But no one else is here? Crap, do you see fake people or something? I do not feel like listening to your hallucinations, buddy.”

“What?! Of course I don’t see things! My father is a very busy man and does not come here frequently. My usual caretaker has been preoccupied recently and instead one of my father’s trusted officers has been taking his place. Not that that’s any of your business! But I have rules I have to follow, and the most important is that I am forbidden from leaving this tower.” 

“...Forbidden…?”

“That’s what I said, isn’t it?!” 

“Are you sure you weren’t like, kidnapped or something? Something about this is kinda sketchy.” Sokka frowned. 

“I’m not in the mood for your made-up phrases! ‘Kidnap’ isn’t a word!” Zuko scoffed. He ignored how the word tickled at a memory from his time outside the tower, pushing the thought away.

“What? Of course it’s a word! Like when someone takes a person against their will and keeps them somewhere? Spirits, how sheltered are you?”

“Who would take someone against their will? And hold them somewhere? Why would anyone do that?” Zuko asked in disbelief. That was such a weird thing to do, what was the point?

“There’s tons of reasons, but only twisted people do it. It’s messed up! Hence the reason it’s kind of concerning that  _ you  _ might’ve been!” That didn’t really explain much… 

“I wasn’t kidnapped!”

“How would you know, it could’ve happened when you were a baby?” Sokka pointed out. Zuko paused. Could that have been what happened? Is Father even actually his father? Is that why they were so adamant about keeping him hidden? No, that couldn’t be true. While he wasn’t the spitting image of his father, there were definitely enough similar features to prove they were related. He had been told he had inherited most of his looks from his mother, but he had seen his father in plenty of little things about himself, like the arch of his eyebrows, or the slope of his nose. Was it still kidnapping if it was done by his own father? 

“I  _ wasn’t _ . I was put in here to keep me  _ safe _ .” Zuko said, hoping his unsureness didn’t show through in his voice. Sokka looked like he wanted to say something else, but he kept his mouth shut.

“Okay, whatever you say dude. So, thoughts on letting me out now?”

_____________

Katara and Aang sprinted through the forest, scrambling to escape their pursuers. Aang gave them a boost with airbending, but it was difficult for Katara to keep up with it. 

Soon they determined that they should be safe for a few minutes and halted to a stop, their breathing heavy. Katara wiped the beginnings of a sheen of sweat off her forehead.

“That was close.” She breathed. Her words seemed to jinx them, however, because almost immediately after they heard the shouts of Fire Nation soldiers once more. The duo looked around in panic before Aang’s eyes landed on a wall covered in vines. 

“Come on, through here!” He pointed.

“What?! Aang, that’s a wall!”

“No it’s not, I can feel the flow of air through it! Just come on!” The airbender grabbed Katara’s hand and dashed through the vines, dragging the girl behind him. Once on the other side of the vines they held their breath. Soon the soldiers ran past, not even glancing in the direction of the vines. The two breathed a sigh of relief, slumping against the stone wall and letting themselves relax for a moment. Once Katara caught her breath she pushed herself up from the wall. She scanned the scene before her, freezing when she saw the tower.  _ Wow.  _ She nudged Aang’s shoulder, drawing his attention to the building. His eyes widened when he saw it. The airbender grabbed Katara’s wrist and ran forward.

“Come on, Katara! Let’s go check it out!” Before Katara could protest, Aang was using his airbending to fly them to the window. She clutched tight to his robes, not expecting to suddenly be flung into the air as she was. They landed on the window sill lightly, although Katara was significantly less graceful. 

“Oh monkey feathers-” Aang muttered. Katara looked up to see what he was looking at to see none other than her idiot brother tied to a chair, and another boy with what had to be the longest hair ever holding a frying pan as if he were about to hit the water tribe warrior across the head. Both of them were staring at the two of them with wide eyes.

“You were  _ followed _ ?! Or are these two your cohorts? You led them here, didn’t you!” The long-haired boy shouted, turning back to Sokka.

“What?! I didn’t lead them here! I mean, yeah, they’re my friends, but I didn’t tell them where I was going!” Sokka yelped in response. 

“I don’t believe you.” The boy glared, adjusting his grip on the pan. 

“Please don’t hit me again!” Of course, the boy slammed the pan into his head in response. Katara stifled a laugh as her brother fell unconscious. As soon as Sokka was out, the boy turned to them, brandishing the frying pan as if it were a deadly weapon that could take them out in an instant. 

“Hey, don’t worry! We’re not going to hurt you or anything! We just got curious when we saw the tower!” Aang put his hands up in a form of surrender. The boy wasn’t phased. “Really! I’m Aang, and this is Katara! I’m the Avatar! You know, bringing peace to the nations and all!” Katara swatted the back of his head.

“Aang! We’re in the Fire Nation, in case you forgot!” 

“Sorry!” Katara rolled her eyes. 

“You’re not the Avatar.” The boy scoffed. “The Avatar’s a grown woman, not a little boy.” Katara and Aang exchanged confused glances.

“Is the Fire Nation still being taught history from like two hundred years ago or something? The last female Avatar was Kyoshi, and that was forever ago!” Katara exclaimed. 

“What? But everything I’ve read speaks of her as the current Avatar! You’re lying!” 

“How often do you talk to other people? The Avatar is a pretty common topic of conversation nowadays, with the war and all.” Katara inquired with a frown. If they were dealing with a hermit that kidnapped Sokka, they were probably in for a problem. 

“W-war? There’s no war! You guys are making things up to try and distract me! You can take your weird friend, just get out of here!” He kept his eyes on them as he unwrapped the binds from Sokka, which, upon closer inspection, appeared to be his very long hair. 

“Woah, is that your hair?! It’s so long! That’s so cool!” Aang exclaimed, getting distracted. “We’re like opposites, I’ve got no hair and you’ve got super long hair!” 

“Why do you have so much anyway?” Katara asked. The boy pushed Sokka from the chair, who landed on his face with his butt in the air. The boy proceeded to nudge Sokka closer to them with his foot. Katara went to go pick him up, but he was much too heavy for her to hoist up. 

“Here.” The boy said, leaning down next to Sokka’s head. Katara watched closely, curious of what he was going to do. She watched as he licked his finger and then shoved it in Sokka’s ear. Her brother’s eyes immediately shot open with an indignant squawk. 

“I said stop doing that!” He exclaimed before realizing he was laying on the floor, unbound. He shot to his feet in an instant, reaching for his boomerang. 

“Now get out of here before I decide to keep you as prizes.” The boy growled. 

“Yeah, no, I’m not leaving you here, Mr. Potentially Kidnapped.” Sokka said. 

“Mr. What?!” Katara and Aang exclaimed. 

“I told you I wasn’t kidnapped! I barely even know what that means!” 

“That’s because you’ve never left this tower.” 

“Wait, if you’ve never left, how’d you get that scar?” Aang asked before slapping his hand over his mouth. “Oh, spirits, I’m so sorry, that was really rude!” 

“I  _ have _ left, and I have this scar because of that! I’m not leaving!”

“Hold up, you didn’t say you got that while you were outside!” Sokka gasped. 

“I didn’t get it while I was outside, I got it  _ because  _ I was outside! And I would like to keep the other half of my face, thank you very much.” 

“But you live here alone, don’t you? Who did that to you?” Katara asked. She was beginning to worry about this guy.

“Can you guys just leave already? Should someone arrive while you’re all still here, it’ll be bad for all of us.” 

“He means his caretaker and his dad.” Sokka explained, “I’m not buying the idea that it’s actually his dad, though.” He said the last part quieter so the boy wouldn’t hear him. 

“Do… Do these people hurt you? Are you saying you don’t want to leave because of them?” Aang asked softly. 

“W-what? Father has only ever hurt me once, and my caretaker won’t because Father would have his head if he did. I don’t want to leave because I don’t want to, not because of them. All that’s out there is betrayal and confusion.” The trio didn’t miss how his voice wavered on the last couple sentences, as if he were trying to convince himself. 

“But aren’t there things you want to see? Places you want to go?” Katara offered.

“W-well, yes, but I don’t need to go, so I’m not.” The boy turned away from them, crossing his arms. 

“What do you want to go see?” Aang asked. The boy looked back over his shoulder for a moment before turning back around, his face tinted pink.

“I- well, I’ve always wanted to see…” He muttered the last few words so that they couldn’t hear him. 

“What was that? You need to speak up a bit.” 

“I-I want to see the turtleduck festival in Ba Sing Se!” He said louder, his body language embarrassed. The group exchanged surprised glances. They weren’t expecting such an innocent or specific answer.

“That’s coming up soon, isn’t it? In a couple months, right?” Aang suggested. The boy nodded.

“Look, Zuko, buddy.” Sokka started, “It’s either staying up here in this tower with your shitty dad and caretaker, or seeing a bunch of turtleducks and lanterns with us.” 

“Y-you’d take me to go see it?” The boy- Zuko- turned around quickly, a surprised look on his face. 

“Yeah! We do need to repay you for breaking in after all!” Aang smiled, “It’ll probably take a while though, since it’s still a couple months away, and there’s things that we need to do, but we can take you!” 

“What’re we supposed to do, just drag him around with us as we go to the North? That doesn’t seem like the best idea.” Katara pointed out. 

“It’ll be fine! I’m sure he can help us on our mission anyway!” Aang waved her off. An idea suddenly popped into his head. “Say, Zuko, was it? Are you a firebender?” 

“Yes.” 

“Awesome! I’m going to need to learn firebending soon anyway, you can be my teacher when the time comes!” 

“Wait, what?” 

“Think of it as your end of the deal. We take you to the festival, you teach Aang firebending.” Sokka shrugged. Zuko scowled softly.

“Fine. Deal.” Zuko stuck out his pinky and Aang latched onto it with his own, a smile on his round face. Katara almost laughed at the childish act, before it occurred to her that they  _ were _ children. The fact almost made her a bit sad. 

“Do you need to pack anything? Because if we’re all the way in the north pole and you suddenly remember you forgot something, I’m going to be mad.” Sokka said.

“Uhh, just a second. I don’t have much, I promise!” Zuko responded before turning and running into a separate room. Barely even a minute later he ran back out with a small bag in his hand.

“Is that it? What are you bringing?” Katara asked when she saw the size of the bag. 

“Just the things I find essential. I wouldn’t want to weigh anyone down. Although I do have food if you would like me to bring any?” He suggested. 

“That’d be great, actually.” Sokka agreed. Zuko immediately went to the small kitchen area of the tower and began pulling out foods that seemed preservable, adding it to his bag. 

“Ok. That should be all.” He nodded, giving his hair a tug so that it was closer to his person. 

“Are you sure you don’t need anything else?” Aang checked. Zuko nodded, a determined look on his face. “Then let’s go!” He climbed up on the window sill, seemingly ready to jump out, before Katara stopped him. 

“Wait, Aang! We need to get down too!” She exclaimed. 

“Oh yeah. Zuko, how do people usually get in and out?” Aang asked. 

“Like this.” Zuko stepped forward, pulling his massive amounts of hair into his arms as he went. The other three watched intently as Zuko proceeded to fling his hair over a hook above the window. “One of you come here.” Sokka obeyed, walking up to Zuko’s side. “Now climb down.”

“What?! That’s your hair!” Sokka exclaimed. Katara was just as shocked. 

“You don’t have the option to be picky, it’s either this or I push you out. Unless you want to attempt climbing out the same way you came up?” 

“Fine, fine.” Sokka said, grabbing onto the makeshift rope. Biting his lip, he stepped up onto the window sill and looked down. Zuko’s hair was a lot longer than he thought, the ends just touching the ground. Nervous energy racing through his body, Sokka stepped over the edge. 

The climb down was nerve wracking, but soon Sokka made it to the bottom. He let out a sigh of relief as he touched the grass. Zuko’s hair was shockingly soft, and it had constantly scared him that he would lose his grip and fall. Moments after his feet touched solid ground, Aang came soaring down after him. 

“Katara will be down in a second!” He smiled. Sokka looked up and saw Katara climbing down the length of hair, making much faster progress then him. He scowled to himself, a bit jealous. Zuko’s bare feet were dangling over the edge of the window sill, kicking back and forth idly as he waited for Katara to reach the bottom of the tower. Soon Katara touched down and Sokka looked back up to Zuko. 

“How’re you going to get down?” Sokka shouted up to him.

“Be patient!” Zuko shouted back. He pulled his feet back and Sokka lost view of the long haired boy. For a moment Sokka wondered if all of this was a ruse to get them to leave him alone, until suddenly Zuko jumped out of the window. 

“ _ What the--?! _ ” Sokka shouted. He was surely going to fall! Zuko grabbed onto his hair and curled his legs up, sliding down it faster than either of the siblings could’ve ever imagined going. His feet hit the ground soon after and he pulled the rest of his hair down. 

“That was so dangerous! How’d you even know that would work?!” Katara rounded on him.

“I didn’t.” Zuko shrugged. 

“Are you stupid?! What were you planning on doing if you fell?!”

“I didn’t fall though, so why does it matter?” Zuko frowned. Katara gaped at him, huffing and crossing her arms. “Anyway, shouldn’t we get going now?”

“Right! So, Katara, let’s forget about the sheer recklessness that Zuko just displayed for a moment and get back to Appa, shall we?” Sokka interjected. Everyone nodded and began walking away from the tower. 

Away from everything Zuko had ever known. Away from the safety and seclusion and into the great unknown.

“Welcome aboard, Zuko!” Aang smiled. “I hope we have lots of fun traveling together!” 

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm curious, do you guys think Iroh should play into this? If so, how do you think he would get involved? (keep in mind that the entire world is under the impression that Ozai got rid of (killed) Zuko just after his birth because he didn't want a non bender child, this includes Iroh and Ursa and Azula) 
> 
> Thank you guys for the endless support, I wasn't expecting this to get so much attention! As always, kudos, comments, and shares are greatly appreciated!


	4. NOT AN UPDATE IM SORRY

Hi everyone!!! Thank you for all the endless support on this I just really need to let you guys know something!!

I currently have all my devices taken away, which unfortunately includes my computer. I temporarily have it back for the night so I wanted to post this update so you guys are aware of what's happening and that I didn't just vanish or quit the story!! I just need to bring up a grade or two so it shouldn't take long! I promise I'm not quitting the story and I'm working on plot ideas while I'm unable to write/post new chapters! Thank you for your patience! 

Also I apologize for getting hopes up for a new chapter by posting this I hate it when that happens too, I just really wanted to reassure everyone I'm not going to give up on this!!

**Author's Note:**

> I know this was short I'm sorry >_< but I already have the first chapter started so yeah!! As soon as I finish it I'll post it! Until then please comment and leave your thoughts!


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